Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Books That are Perfect for Spooky Season
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is actually supposed to be Books I Read On Vacation. I haven’t really taken a vacation any time recently and I’m pretty sure I didn’t read much the last time I did, so I decided to go rogue this week and share some spooky season book recommendations instead. Now I don’t really read actual horror because I’m a big chicken, so if you’re looking for truly terrifying reads, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Aside from that, I think I have a pretty good variety here.
10 Books That are Perfect for Spooky Season
1. THE EX HEX by Erin Sterling – “New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong..” This is a fun witchy rom-com that features the second chance romance and enemies to lovers tropes.
2. THE KISS CURSE by Erin Sterling – “This follow-up to The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry. When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.” I’m reading this one right now and loving it even more than the first book in the series!
3. THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna – “A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family–and a new love–changes the course of her life..” I reviewed this one on the blog a few weeks ago and just adored everything about it.
4. THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES by Alix E. Harrow – This is a wonderful story about sisterhood and suffragist witches who are determined to reclaim the power that men have historically denied them.
5. WILD IS THE WITCH by Rachel Griffin – “When eighteen-year-old witch Iris Gray accidentally enacts a curse that could have dire consequences, she must team up with a boy who hates witches to make sure her magic isn’t unleashed on the world.” Loved the haunting and atmospheric writing in this one and that the magic is so steeped in nature.
6. SPELLS FOR FORGETTING by Adrienne Young – “A deeply atmospheric story about ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love.”
7. YOU’LL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Karen McManus – “From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand-new pulse-pounding thriller. It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder when three old friends relive an epic ditch day, and it goes horribly–and fatally–wrong.” Honestly, if you enjoy YA thrillers, any of McManus’ novels are great choices for spooky season. I read this one over this past weekend and couldn’t put it down.
8. IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE by Ashley Winstead – “A college reunion turns dark and deadly in this chilling and propulsive suspense novel about six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other—and themselves—for a decade.” Another thriller that I devoured this weekend. If you enjoy dark academia, this is a great choice. It kept me guessing from beginning to end.
9. SIGN HERE by Claudia Lux – “A darkly humorous, surprisingly poignant, and utterly gripping debut novel about a guy who works in Hell (literally) and is on the cusp of a big promotion if only he can get one more member of the wealthy Harrison family to sell their soul..” This was my October Book of the Month pick and my current read and I’m loving the dark humor so much!
10. EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE by Jay Kristoff – “Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order couldn’t stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains. Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope: The Holy Grail.” This is a brick of a book at 739 pages, but I flew through it in 3 days. It’s a dark read, often gory and violent, definitely not for kids, but it’s also filled with tremendous emotion and passion as the last silversaint shares his often painful story.
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Question: Have you read any of these or are you planning to read any of them?
Reviews: Bad Girl Reputation, Before I Do, & Mistakes Were Made
Another week, another assortment of books to share my thoughts on with you. I know we’re in the midst of spooky season but most of my ARCs for this month ended up being romances and oddly enough, Christmas books. I’m holding off on the Christmas books at the moment because my inner mood reader just isn’t quite ready for them, but I imagine I’ll start sharing those reviews either later this week or early next week. Anyway, on to today’s reviews!
Bad Girl Reputation Goodreads Author: Elle Kennedy
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Bad Girl Reputation, the second book in Elle Kennedy’s Avalon Bay series, introduces us to Genevieve West and Evan Hartley, two long-time residents of the town. Genevieve, or Gen, is known for being a wild child, while Evan is the town party boy. Their reputation together as a couple also precedes them, as they’ve been into one another forever and their passion and chemistry are both off the charts. After a particularly embarrassing moment involving another woman’s husband, Gen decides it’s time to grow up and she abruptly leaves town and cuts off contact with Evan. One year later, when her mother dies and her dad asks her to come home and help settle her mom’s affairs, Gen comes face to face with Evan. The attraction is still there of course but can she possibly rekindle her relationship with Evan without spiraling right back into her bad girl habits?
I really enjoyed everything about this story. The growth of Gen throughout the book is just tremendous, and I felt so proud of her, especially since she had practically the whole town watching her and expecting the worst of her. I also loved her chemistry with Evan. They have not only an intense physical connection, but a strong emotional connection as well. All Evan wants is Gen and he’s willing to do anything to make her understand that. When he understands just how important it is to Gen to continue her journey of growth and maturity, he’s 100% on board with it and sets out to make similar changes in his own life. I just adored the idea of the bad boy and the bad girl both growing up together and was cheering them on every step of the way.
With its charming coastal smalltown setting, its fabulous cast of characters, and a wonderful second chance romance, Bad Girl Reputation is an entertaining read that is sure to please romance fans. 4 STARS
Before I Do Goodreads
Author: Sophie Cousens
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Publisher: Penguin Group Putnam, G P Putnam’s Sons
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a moving romance that follows one woman’s journey of what happens when “the one who got away” unexpectedly turns up the night before she is set to marry another man. I loved the premise of the story and was immediately hooked as soon as I started reading because the story starts out with a bang and then takes us through the events that led up to the explosive opening scene.
Audrey and Fred meet in the most unexpected and adorable of ways, and after their initial meet cute, they end up spending a truly magical day together. They make plans to go on a real date, but then Fred doesn’t show. Audrey, convinced that she and Fred were destined to be together, is devastated. She moves on with her life though, meeting Josh, who is a sweetheart, and six years later, Audrey finds herself about to be married. A series of bad omens start to plague Audrey right before the wedding, including dead bats in the church and of course Fred suddenly appearing at the rehearsal dinner. These omens really start to create doubt in Audrey’s mind as to who she is meant to spend the rest of her life with.
Using a dual timeline approach, Before I Do takes us through Audrey’s past, starting with when she and Fred meet, moving on to when she and Josh connect, and then of course, to the present day where the wedding events are unfolding and the pressure is on Audrey to decide what to do. I really loved how Cousens used the dual timeline here since we got to know Audrey, Fred, and Josh really well and got to see how each of those relationships developed. I also loved that the way the characters are developed, both Fred and Josh come across as very likeable so it’s not easy to choose one to root for, especially once we learn why Fred was a no show for their date. It’s easy to see why Audrey is so muddled about what to do. She really does love Josh, but what if Fred really was her soulmate and this is destiny’s way of giving her a second chance?
Cousens also does a wonderful job exploring the troubled relationship between Audrey and her mom and the impact it has had on her own approach to other relationships. I loved the added depth this angle added to Audrey’s story since it shed so much light on her own motivations and thought processes when it came to relationships and made me that much more invested in her journey.
I don’t want to give away what Audrey chooses to do, so I’m going to stop now, but I highly recommend Before I Do to anyone who enjoys a multi-layered and unpredictable romance with a cast of well-developed, unforgettable characters that will tug at your heartstrings. 4 STARS
Mistakes Were Made Goodreads
Author: Meryl Wilsner
Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Meryl Wilsner’s debut romance Something to Talk About so I was eager to get my hands on a copy of her latest book, Mistakes Were Made. I was a little nervous that the plot, which centers on a college senior accidentally hooking up with her best friend’s mom, wouldn’t come across as believable, but I needn’t have worried. Wilsner does a phenomenal job of not only making it seem like a plausible romance, but it became one that I wholeheartedly found myself cheering on.
The story follows Cassie Klein, a college senior who goes to an off-campus bar in hopes of escaping her school’s Family Weekend activities since her family decided not to attend. Cassie isn’t looking to hook up with anyone, but when she sees a sexy older woman sitting at the bar, she can’t resist buying her a drink and see what, if anything, develops between them. What develops is a super steamy one-night stand that leaves both women satisfied, and Cassie ready to return to campus and face the rest of Family Weekend. Imagine her shock and horror then, when invited by her best friend Parker to come to breakfast and meet her mom, Cassie comes face to face with her one-night stand, who just happens to be Parker’s mother, Erin, who is of course equally horrified.
I really loved how the author developed this relationship and had her characters navigate the many obstacles that face them, the number one obstacle being not wanting to hurt Parker. Wilsner does a wonderful job portraying the awkwardness and the inner turmoil both Cassie and Erin experience because as much as they both try to hide it and deny it, they are clearly attracted to one another and have wonderful chemistry. I was right there with them alternating between “No, you absolutely cannot be together. Think about Parker!” to “But you’re so happy together. Maybe Parker would be okay with it?” As the title implies, mistakes were made and I really appreciated that aspect of it. It’s definitely a messy situation these women find themselves in, and I don’t think the relationship would have felt realistic if there weren’t mistakes made along the way.
If you’re in the mood for a sexy, steamy forbidden romance with a bit of family drama thrown into the mix, you’ll want to check out Mistakes Were Made. 4 STARS.
Reviews: WHEN IN ROME and WHERE WE END & BEGIN
Happy Friday everyone! I’m back today to share my thoughts on two wonderful romances I read recently. Those who enjoy rom-coms will definitely want to check out the first one, while those who prefer more of a tearjerker read will want to check out the second.
When in Rome Goodreads Author: Sarah Adams
Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been wanting to read something from Sarah Adams ever since her novel, The Cheat Sheet, generated so much hype on social media. I’m a big Audrey Hepburn fan too, so when I saw Hepburn and Roman Holiday mentioned in the synopsis for Adams’ new book, When in Rome, I couldn’t resist reading it.
Amelia Rose, or Rae Rose as she is known to her legions of fans, is a pop princess on the verge of burn out. Years of cultivating her onstage persona, obeying her manager’s every command, and following a rigorous tour schedule have taken their toll and Amelia desperately needs to get away from her life for a while. Inspired by Roman Holiday, her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Amelia takes off in the middle of the night for a quick vacation before her next tour starts. Unlike Roman Holiday, however, Italy is not the destination. Amelia needs somewhere closer and more discrete so she heads to a different Rome…Rome, Kentucky. Luck is not on her side though as her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere just on the outskirts of Rome. Her rescuer appears in the unlikely form of a grumpy but sexy baker named Noah Wilder. Amelia has no idea how life changing this little trip to Rome is going to be.
This was such a fun read! I adored both Amelia and Noah and especially loved watching Amelia break through Noah’s gruff exterior to see what a sweet, big-hearted guy he really is under all that grumpiness. There are some laugh out loud moments, lots of flirty ones too, and so much witty banter that had me chuckling through chapter after chapter. Amelia and Noah are clearly attracted to one another, but neither is looking for a relationship. Then there’s the added twist that Amelia is only in town for a couple of weeks anyway and then she’s off on tour again for months. Neither wants to get into a relationship that is destined not to last, but it gets harder and harder to fight their attraction to one another. I loved how that tension and conflict contrasted with all the fun, flirty moments and added that extra layer of very realistic depth to the story.
All of the secondary characters in the book were fabulous too. Rome is a small quirky town filled with equally quirky characters. It was clear they all loved Noah and considered him family and equally clear that they were rooting for Noah and Amelia to get together just as much as I was. Noah also has sisters who live in town and they were also fabulous. I loved how Noah and his sisters have a standing “date” every Saturday night where they all get together, play games, and tease each other mercilessly. Their close-knit family just gave me warm fuzzies.
Overall, When in Rome was just an all around delightful read for me. If you’re in the mood for a fun and heart-warming small-town romance filled with lovable quirky characters, this is the book for you! 4 STARS.
Where We End & Begin Goodreads
Author: Jane Igharo
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I loved Jane Igharo’s first two books so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest one, Where We End & Begin and was especially excited to see it was a second chance romance since that’s one of my favorite tropes.
Set in Nigeria, the story follows Dunni and Obinna, high school sweethearts who are deeply in love but come from very different backgrounds. Dunni’s parents don’t think Obinna is good enough for their daughter and so, against Dunni’s wishes, they send her away to university in America and they tell Obinna to stay away from their daughter. Twelve years later, Dunni returns to Nigeria for a friend’s wedding and it is there that she and Obinna are finally reunited. Can they pick up where they left off or has too much happened since then for a second chance to even be possible?
The story is presented through two timelines, one in the past that shows us when Dunni and Obinna first met in school and fell in love, and then one in the present that shows them getting to know each other all over again as adults. I loved the contrast of the sweet, youthful scenes of a first love in bloom versus the intense and sensual moments of two former lovers rediscovering one another. Ultimately, both timelines converge in an emotional roller coaster as we learn not only the exact details from the past surrounding the cruel and heartless way Dunni and Obinna were separated, but devastating secrets are revealed that threaten to once again tear Dunni and Obinna apart. My heart just broke for these two over and over again.
Dunni and Obinna are very easy to root for. They are both very likeable as individuals, but they definitely shine as a couple. From the early days of their relationship to the chemistry they still clearly have as adults, there’s no doubt that they are meant to be together if they can overcome the obstacles that threaten them.
I also very much enjoy this author’s writing style. She fleshes out her characters and makes them feel so real, like I truly know them and their history, and I love the way she depicts the heart-wrenching scenes between Dunni and Obinna in such a way that they are intensely moving and realistic, but never melodramatic.
Where We End & Begin is an angsty, heartfelt romance that is perfect for fans of star-crossed lovers and second chance romances. 4 STARS